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FASCETTI Lab

GRADUATE DEGREE AND
CLINICAL NUTRITION RESIDENCY OPPORTUNITIES


There are currently two types of clinical nutrition residencies available. The first is a dual nutrition residency and graduate degree program. Applicants for the first program must be accepted as graduate students in the Graduate Group of Nutrition as well as approved for the residency by the service chief. The second is strictly a clinical residency without an associated graduate degree. Application for the second program is done through the Veterinary Internship/Residency Matching Program (VIRMP). Both programs are described below. Please note that information concerning one program does not necessarily apply to the other program. If you are interested or have questions about either program please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Andrea Fascetti.

Clinical Nutrition Residency/Graduate Program

I. Introduction

The American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN) recognizes advanced training in clinical nutrition through Board Certification of Diplomates of the College. The University of California, Davis offers a combined Residency/Graduate program in Nutrition.
II. Objectives
  1. Advanced clinical training in veterinary nutrition.
  2. Complete the requirements for Board Certification by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition
  3. Participate in clinical teaching of senior students and didactic teaching of pre-clinical students.
  4. Provide nutritional consults for services in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, referring veterinarians and clients.
  5. Prepare and present clinical cases and journal articles in Nutrition Support Service rounds.
  6. Complete concurrent graduate studies for a Ph.D. degree in Nutrition.
III. Qualifications of candidate

Candidates for residency training in small animal clinical nutrition must have a DVM or equivalent degree from an accredited college of veterinary medicine, and must have completed one year of formal internship or an equivalent training period in the clinical practice of veterinary medicine. Preference will be given to candidates indicating an intent to pursue board certification in veterinary nutrition by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. Concurrent application to the University of California, Davis Graduate Group of Nutrition is mandatory, as successful admission is required. Please note that applications are due to the Graduate Group of Nutrition by mid January (please contact the Graduate Group in Nutrition for exact date).
IV. Program Administration
  1. The program will be administered by the Department of Molecular Biosciences under the authority of the department chair.
  2. Individual residents will be responsible to a resident advisor who will be a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition.
  3. A major professor will be selected who may or may not be the same individual as the resident advisor.
V. Responsibilities
  1.
Residents will participate in the Nutrition Support Service that provides nutritional consultations for all services within the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, referring veterinarians and their clients.
  2. A copy of all consults done for the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital should be retained by the resident and will be reviewed by the resident advisor.
  3.
Residents will keep a log of all of their telephone consults. Information in the log book should include, but is not limited to, date of call, name and telephone number of caller, basic signalment and history, diet history, diagnosis, abnormal biochemical/pathological values, current therapy and nutritional management recommendations. A copy of any dietary formulations and a computer analysis of the diet must be retained by the resident. Logs will be reviewed by the resident advisor.
  4. Residents must demonstrate proficiency in basic and clinical nutrition principles. They must also demonstrate proficiency in applying that knowledge in clinical situations.
  5. Residents must demonstrate an acceptable level of understanding of the medical and surgical principles associated with their cases. Residents whose knowledge is judged unacceptable may be required to spend a quarter or more in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.
  6. Residents are required to participate in Nutrition Support Service rounds and journal club. Residents should be prepared to present and discuss their cases. Case presentations should be thorough and concise. Analysis of any computer-generated diet should be available for review if requested. Residents will be required to present journal club at least once every other quarter.
  7. Residents should attend Small Animal Medicine grand rounds whenever their schedule permits.
  8. Residents are required to participate in the Advanced Clinical Nutrition course. Residents are encouraged to participate in nutrition and metabolism reviews for other services in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.
  9. Residents will serve as a consultant on the Nutrition Support Service for most of their program, with a minimal requirement of 4 years.
  10. Residents will also work toward the completion of a doctorate in nutrition. For information about the requirements for a Doctor of Philosophy in Nutrition please refer to the Graduate Group's web site at http://nutrition.ucdavis.edu/ggn.
VI. Nutrition Support Service Advisors
  • Andrea Fascetti, VMD, PhD (Service Chief)
    Diplomate, ACVN and ACVIM
    Interests: Trace mineral metabolism, taurine metabolism, feline nutrition, clinical nutrition
Other supporting faculty:
  • Quinton Rogers, PhD
    Diplomate, ACVN (Honorary)
    Interests: Amino acid metabolism, feline nutrition, improvement of pet foods

  • Stanley Marks, BVSc, PhD
    Diplomate: ACVIM (internal medicine and oncology), ACVN
    Interests: Gastroenterology, clinical nutrition, oncology

RESIDENCY PROGRAM IN SMALL ANIMAL CLINICAL NUTRITION AT THE VETERINARY MEDICAL TEACHING HOSPITAL

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VII. OBJECTIVES
  A. To provide advanced post-doctoral clinical training with a primary emphasis on small animal veterinary clinical nutrition and a minor emphasis on veterinary internal medicine.
  B. To provide experience in teaching veterinary clinical nutrition to veterinary students and other residents.
  C. To provide experience in research by designing and executing an investigative project in veterinary clinical nutrition.
  D. To fulfill the residency training requirement for board certification in veterinary nutrition as established by the American College of Veterinary Clinical Nutrition (ACVN).
VIII. JUSTIFICATION

Veterinary clinical nutrition, particularly as it pertains to small animal species (dogs and cats), has become a well-developed clinical discipline. There is a need in academic institutions, industry and private practice for clinicians trained in veterinary clinical nutrition.

The small animal clinical nutrition residency program is designed to provide advanced post-doctoral clinical training in veterinary nutrition of two year's duration following a formal internship or equivalent experience. Completion of this residency will partially fulfill the requirements for board certification in veterinary nutrition by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN).

The Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital has the physical facilities and clinical case load to support a nutrition residency program for one resident. A faculty member from the Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, who is also an ACVN and ACVIM diplomate will have direct supervision for this residency program. Additional support will be provided by other faculty members and ACVN diplomates from the same department and the Department of Medicine.
IX. QUALIFICATIONS OF CANDIDATE

Candidates for residency training in small animal clinical nutrition must have a DVM or equivalent degree from an accredited college of veterinary medicine, and must have completed one year of formal internship or an equivalent training period in the clinical practice of veterinary medicine. Preference will be given to candidates indicating an intent to pursue board certification in veterinary nutrition by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition.
X. RESIDENCY PROGRAM
  A. Duration The residency shall be for two years, with the second year based on merit (written evaluation) and desire of the candidate. A certificate of completion will be awarded only to those candidates completing the two year program.
  B. General Scope and Nature of Training The resident will spend approximately 60% of the time in the medical practice of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital with an emphasis on clinical nutrition. Time will be spent receiving cases in the Nutrition Clinic and providing nutrition consultations to other services in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. The resident will also participate with veterinarians who are nutrition graduate students in the Nutrition Support Service, a telephone consulting service for referring veterinarians and their clients. The resident will spend approximately 40% of their time in other activities, including course work necessary to fulfill board certification requirements, investigative work (research), self-study and participation in rounds and seminars, both in the Veterinary School and the Graduate Group of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Participation in the Annual House Officer Seminar Day is mandatory. Approximately 4 weeks/year of vacation will be allowed, subject to approval of the Service Chief. Written evaluation of the resident's progress and performance will be made by the Service Chief at 6 month intervals during the program. The resident will be required to submit a written evaluation of the residency program at its conclusion.
  C. Responsibilities and Activities

1. Clinical Responsibilities
  a.    Residents will participate in the Clinical Nutrition service at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, providing nutritional recommendations and evaluations for clinical cases.
  b. Residents will participate in the Nutrition Support Service that provides nutritional consultations for all services within the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, referring veterinarians and their clients.
  c. Residents are required to participate in Nutrition Support Service rounds and journal club.
  d. It is anticipated that residents will occasionally attend hospital rounds with other clinical services.
2. Teaching Responsibilities
  a. Assist in the supervision and instruction of professional students in their clinical training in veterinary nutrition at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.
  b. Residents are required to participate in the didactic teaching of pre-clinical students by preparing and presenting at least one lecture in the Advanced Clinical Nutrition course.
  c. Residents are encouraged to participate in nutrition continuing education reviews for other services in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and local veterinary associations.

3. Courses
  a. In order to complete the requirements for board certification by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition a minimum equivalent of 15 semester hours (22.5 quarter hours) of course work (including no more than six semester hours - 9 quarter hours - of research credit) need to be completed. This should include advanced courses in the areas of physiology, nutrition, pathophysiology, internal medicine and statistics. Each incoming resident will be evaluated independently to determine how many courses they must complete to fulfill these requirements. Ample out-of-clinic time will be provided to assure that the necessary course work is completed.
  b. Individuals wishing to pursue an academic program (MS, PhD) following the residency may apply to do so. It will not be possible to pursue an advanced degree during residency training. However, course work completed during the residency training in fulfillment of ACVN requirements may be applied toward completion of a graduate degree in the future.
4. Research
  a. Each resident is expected to initiate and complete at least one research project during their residency under the direction of a faculty advisor. The resident must be the principal investigator on this project. It should be noted however that the American College of Veterinary Nutrition currently requires two, first author original research publications to be eligible for board certification. Therefore, unless the resident has an already existing publication that is acceptable, it will be necessary to complete a second project in order to be eligible for boards.
  b. The goals are to become acquainted with clinical research, to publish an abstract, to present new material orally to peers, and finally, to publish these findings in a refereed scientific journal. The project may be laboratory/experimental or clinical, depending on the experience and interest of the resident and availability of resources and funding.
  c. The results of the investigation will be presented at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital House Officer Day Seminar and prepared for presentation at a national meeting and/or for publication by the end of the residency.
XI. CLINICAL NUTRITION FACULTY
  • Andrea Fascetti, VMD, PhD (Service Chief)
    Diplomate, ACVN and ACVIM
    Interests: Trace mineral metabolism, taurine metabolism, feline nutrition, clinical nutrition

    Other supporting faculty:

  • Quinton Rogers, PhD
    Diplomate, ACVN (Honorary)
    Interests: Amino acid metabolism, feline nutrition, improvement of pet foods

  • Stanley Marks, BVSc, PhD
    Diplomate: ACVIM (internal medicine and oncology), ACVN
    Interests: Gastroenterology, clinical nutrition, oncology
XII. OTHER FACULTY

There are at least 2 board-certified specialists in each of the following clinical or para-clinical areas of interest: Cardiology, Dermatology, Oncology, Neurology, Anesthesia, Emergency/Critical Care, Ophthalmology, Surgery, Clinical Pathology, Dentistry, and Radiology.
XIII. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT RESIDENCY TRAINING PROGRAMS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS VETERINARY MEDICAL TEACHING HOSPITAL

A large and complete Health Sciences Library is located adjacent to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for support of the resident's clinical training and research activities. This library facility is one of five on the Davis Campus. Collectively, these libraries contain more than 2.3 million volumes and receive more than 51,000 periodical and journal titles annually.

The VMTH is committed to building strong relationships with its constituents. A major part of the residents' duties includes timely communication with referring veterinarians and clients.

The current salary for the first year of the residency program is $33,900 with 16 hours of vacation accrued monthly. Continuation into the second year is contingent upon satisfactory performance.

Applicants must request and complete an application form and submit (1) a curriculum vitae, (2) a letter of intent, (3) transcripts from veterinary school(s), and (4) three letters of recommendation to: Resident Affairs Coordinator, Room 2019, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8747. Selection will be in accordance with the guidelines of the Veterinary Internship/Residency Matching Program (VIRMP). If you are interested in an interview or telephone conference please contact Dr. Andrea Fascetti, Small Animal Clinical Nutrition Service Chief at (530) 752-1393 or by email: ajfascetti@ucdavis.edu. DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS FOR REVIEW IS 12/1/00.

ALL RESIDENTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO OBTAIN A CALIFORNIA LICENSE WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF RESIDENCY IN ORDER TO WRITE PRESCRIPTIONS.

THE RESIDENCY PROGRAM BEGINS ON AUGUST 1 OF EACH YEAR. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT NEW RESIDENTS BE AVAILABLE TO BEGIN THEIR RESIDENCY PROGRAM BY AUGUST 1ST.

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